Smite More Motes In Osmos' Brand New Multiplayer Mode

The fantastic iOS game Osmos has just received — or should I say absorbed? — a big 2.0 update.

Osmos takes the Darwinian idea of “adapt or die” and turns it into a game of “absorb or be absorbed.” In the game, you assume the role of a mote, which must absorb smaller motes and avoid being absorbed by bigger ones in order to survive.

And as if that premise is not interesting — or should I say absorbing? —enough, it requires you to strike a balance between your need to feed and urge to move. Every time you move about either to absorb or avoid being absorbed, you eject a little of yourself, thereby making you smaller. Understanding this dilemma goes a long way toward staying in the game.

A former Apple Design Award winner, Osmos is simply spectacular. And I’m not just throwing superlatives here. When I say Osmos is great, it is neither a hyperbole nor an imprecision. And it’s even greater now that its version 2.0 is in full effect.

Osmos 2.0 finally introduces the much-anticipated multiplayer mode, which was teased by developer Hemisphere Games late last month.

In the new multiplayer mode, you get to compete against other players in six arenas: Ambient, Warped Chaos, Impasse, Solar, Epicycles, and a new level type unique to multiplayer called Antimatter Impasse. You also get to float your way toward 15 different multiplayer achievements with Game Center integration.

Multiplayer mode is supported online via Game Center or locally via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Note that iPhone vs. iPhone play is possible only under local multiplayer.

You can download Osmos in the App Store for $2.99 for your iPhone or $4.99 for your iPad. By the way, on top of the superb multiplayer support, optimization for the third-generation iPad’s Retina display is also included in the game’s 2.0 update.